The first time I wandered into Bella Cucina Artful Food in Virginia Highland, I think I stayed for almost 45 minutes, reading the ingredients on the jars, sampling the delicious tidbits in the back on the sample table, perusing the recipe books and loving the store.

The more than a dozen varieties of pestos are my favorite things in the store. I’ve tried about half of them and find it difficult to pick a favorite! The bottom of each jar has an easy recipe suggestion for each pesto. The most recent one we tried – Walnut Sage Pesto – suggested stuffing mushrooms with a teaspoon of pesto, brushing them with melted butter and baking until golden. One word: delicious. A few more words: adored by our dinner guests.

Aside from mouthwatering pestos, you can also find a wide variety pastas, antipasti, jarred fruits and spreads, aromatic and infused oils, gourmet flavored salts, and a delicious array of chocolates and sweets. Put simply, it’s pure heaven for a lover of truly good food. And the best part – most of it can be enjoyed with very little preparation – so anyone with any skill level in the kitchen can partake of Bella Cucina’s treats. There is also a selection of Bella Cucina cookbooks – I have La Bella Vita, Inspirations and Recipes from Bella Cucina Artful Food. Bella Cucina also shares a few recipes on the website, in case you need convincing.

If you ever have the pleasure of meeting the owner of Bella Cucina, Alisa Barry, you will find her passion for her food and her business intoxicating. To catch a glimpse of this, you can also read her blog, The Art of Food.

All my words aside, Bella Cucina’s mission is the best expression of what they stand for…

“To enhance the lives of our customers everyday through the spirit,
beauty, and sustenance of artful food.”

1 Enlightened Reply

Very excellent sauce need to carry the sauce in whole foods New York I from atl ga and I am in New York and shop at whole foods and the do not carry your Bella cucina I have to send to atl for the sauces every time I am out